Early life on Earth limited by enzymeA single enzyme found in early single-cell life forms could explain why oxygen levels in the atmosphere remained low for two billion years during the Proterozoic eon, preventing life colonizing land, suggests a UCL-led study. (2019-08-22)

A scientific approach to recreate metabolic evolution in plantsThe research teams at Chiba University, RIKEN, and Kazusa DNA Research Institute confirmed in a paper published in the Plant Journal on July 31, 2019 that the alkaloids were generated by inserting the lysine/ornithine decarboxylating enzyme gene from Lupinus angustifolius producing lysine-derived alkaloid into Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana). (2019-08-01)

Actively swimming gold nanoparticlesBacteria can actively move towards a nutrient source -- a phenomenon known as chemotaxis -- and they can move collectively in a process known as swarming. (2019-07-31)

Scientists take step toward more efficient fuel refinement processesResearchers at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocesses Technology (QIBEBT) in China have made headway toward more sustainable and economic fuel production by developing a biochemical approach to allow more control over the conversion of natural gas into potable liquid fuel. (2019-07-31)

Surprising insight into Legionnaires' diseaseIn order to control cellular processes and thwart the immune system, the bacterium Legionella pneumophilia, the cause of the notorious Legionnaires' disease, releases hundreds of enzymes. (2019-07-24)

How nature builds hydrogen-producing enzymesA team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University of Oxford has discovered how hydrogen-producing enzymes, called hydrogenases, are activated during their biosynthesis. (2019-07-24)

Biochemistry: Versatile recycling in the cellRibosomes need regenerating. This process is important for the quality of the proteins produced and thus for the whole cell homeostasis as well as for developmental and biological processes. (2019-07-18)

Unlocking chemo-resistance in cancerAssociate Professor Hamsa Puthalakath's explanation of why some cancers don't respond to treatment with one of the most effective chemotherapy drugs: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) has the potential to lead to: a lab test to check for 5-FU resistance, which would reduce unnecessary chemotherapy treatments; a new drug to turn off 5-FU in resistance; and he finds 5-FU resistance is linked to a the protein 'BOK,' the function of which has stumped scientists for decades. (2019-07-15)

First hi-res images of active CRISPR enzyme will help improve genome editingFor the first time, scientists grappling with how to improve the efficiency of CRISPR technology -- a gene-editing platform that uses an enzyme called Cas9 to precisely cut and edit specific sequences of DNA within a live cell -- have captured atomic-level, three-dimensional images of the enzyme before and after cutting the DNA. (2019-07-08)

Cascade exacerbates storage diseasesIn rare, hereditary storage diseases such as Sandhoff's disease or Tay-Sachs syndrome, the metabolic waste from accumulating gangliosides cannot be properly disposed of in the nerve cells because important enzymes are missing. (2019-06-26)

Best Science Podcasts 2019

AnthropomorphicDo animals grieve? Do they have language or consciousness? For a long time, scientists resisted the urge to look for human qualities in animals. This hour, TED speakers explore how that is changing. Guests include biological anthropologist Barbara King, dolphin researcher Denise Herzing, primatologist Frans de Waal, and ecologist Carl Safina.

#534 Bacteria are Coming for Your OJWhat makes breakfast, breakfast? Well, according to every movie and TV show we've ever seen, a big glass of orange juice is basically required. But our morning grapefruit might be in danger. Why? Citrus greening, a bacteria carried by a bug, has infected 90% of the citrus groves in Florida. It's coming for your OJ. We'll talk with University of Maryland plant virologist Anne Simon about ways to stop the citrus killer, and with science writer and journalist Maryn McKenna about why throwing antibiotics at the problem is probably not the solution. Related links: A Review of the Citrus Greening...